The Notre Dame Fighting Irish achieved a massive blowout win on Saturday, defeating Syracuse 70-7 in a statement-making game. Not only did the Fighting Irish make a strong case for being deserving of a playoff spot, but their star Jeremiyah Love also showed why he’s among this year’s Heisman Trophy contenders.
Love had an epic performance in the game, with eight carries resulting in 171 yards and three touchdowns to help his team. Coupled with a strong performance from Jalen Stroman on defense, Notre Dame didn’t let up against the Orange.
Saturday’s win moved Notre Dame to 9-2 overall and 6-1 at home, as they look towards the College Football Playoff.
After the game’s conclusion, head coach Marcus Freeman spoke about the “dominant victory,” which was something he said he didn’t know if he’d ever seen before. However, he also said he’d look at the parts of the performance that needed some attention. A reporter asked him to speak on his star running back following his huge game, and Freeman had heaps of praise.
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“He’s a special football player. We know that. It’s a confidence that you have when he’s on the field, when he has the ball in his hands, when he’s on your team. Because he’s consistent, he’s not just, once in a while, he makes a play. He consistently does his job,” Freeman said of Love, adding, “I think it brings a lot of confidence to our team.”
Love’s third touchdown of the matchup was a huge 68-yard run to help boost the score to 55-0. For the game, he had an impressive average of 21.4 yards per carry.
With his performance, Notre Dame Football announced that the running back became the third FBS player since 1996 to achieve three touchdowns and 170 yards with eight or fewer carries.
Earlier today, Fox Sports reported that Love is fifth overall in the Heisman Trophy Odds at +3000. Ahead of him are four quarterbacks: Georgia’s Gunner Stockton, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
Notre Dame’s success in the CFP will hinge upon many factors, but Love will likely be a significant part of their game against most opponents.
Before Freeman left the podium for his postgame press conference, a reporter asked about the “hubbub” surrounding Love’s touchdown celebration dances, which included a Heisman pose in today’s win.
“You put me on the spot. I always say celebrate with your teammates,” Freeman said, also adding, “He’s earned the right to do that. I don’t like the other one you’re referring to, but he’s earned the right to do that, so I’ll let him go.”
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